Fig Tree Ministries Podcast

In this lesson, we explore the Old Testament background to baptism and the long biblical journey that led to the practice of water immersion in the time of Jesus. The story begins with the priests of Israel, who were commanded to wash with water before entering the Tabernacle and serving in the presence of God. Over time, the prophets expanded this imagery and began connecting “washing” with sin,...

In this lesson, we explore immersion and the symbolism of water as one of humanity’s oldest and most universal rituals. Drawing from ancient Near Eastern thought, the book of Genesis, and the writings of the New Testament, we trace how water represents chaos, creation, death, and rebirth across cultures and Scripture. From the Spirit hovering over the waters in Genesis 1 to Naaman’s immersion in t...

In this lesson, we explore the powerful connection between John 3:16 and Genesis 22, the story known in Jewish tradition as The Binding of Isaac (the Akedah). While John 3:16 is one of the most quoted verses in all of Scripture—"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son"—its language and message draw directly from Genesis 22, where God commands Abraham to offer up his son, his only son,...

What does it mean when Jesus says He has “come down from heaven” (John 3:13)? In this full-length teaching, we explore the rich biblical imagery behind God’s descent into the world—a pattern rooted in Creation, the Exodus, and ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. We’ll unpack the spiritual metaphor of “up” and “down,” a concept that is woven throughout the Bible and the human experience. From the burnin...

In this second part of our study on the Parable of the Good Samaritan—what I call the Parable of “Who Is My Neighbor?”—we slow down and walk carefully through the full passage of Luke 10:25–37. Too often, we read this story quickly and miss the powerful dialogue unfolding between Jesus and the Expert in the Law. Together, we’ll explore: - The initial question that sets the stage: “What must I do t...

In this first part of our two-part study on the Parable of the Good Samaritan—what I’m calling the Parable of “Who Is My Neighbor?”—we explore how parables function as teaching tools in the first-century Jewish world. Too often, we pull this parable out of its surrounding dialogue and treat it as an isolated story, which leads to misunderstanding its original meaning. In this lesson, we’ll: - Unpa...

In this concluding lesson of our John 3 introduction series, we trace the remarkable journey of Nicodemus—one of the most overlooked redemption stories in the New Testament. Most readers know Nicodemus from John 3, where he comes to Jesus at night, symbolizing spiritual darkness. But John doesn’t leave him there. We next encounter Nicodemus in John 7, quietly defending Jesus against the other reli...

In this third lesson of our John 3 introduction, we shift from John’s rhetorical device to the rich symbolism and character development woven throughout his Gospel. 📖 In this lesson, we cover: Major Symbolism in John’s Gospel – We explore recurring images such as light and darkness, water and Spirit, birth and new life, and how these themes shape John’s message about Jesus. Characters as Symbols...

#194 - Breaking Free of Literalism in John's Gospel - Gospel of John (pt. 29b) by Scott Broberg

Before diving into John’s unique rhetorical device—where Jesus makes a statement, the listener misunderstands it literally, and then Jesus explains the deeper meaning—we first need to step back and ask: What do we mean by inspiration? For many modern Christians, the word “inspiration” often conjures the idea of God dictating word-for-word to the biblical authors. But scholars today do not understa...

In Part 2 of our deep dive into John chapter 2, we explore the process of transformation—and why it’s so difficult. Transformation isn’t instant. It’s painful. And that’s why John frames his Gospel with a call to zeal—a passionate commitment that carries us through the soul-wrenching work of becoming who God calls us to be. In this lesson, we explore: ✅ The Hebrew word qorban (offering) and its r...

Music based on Genesis 1. God brings order and beauty From the Deep.

In this first of a two-part series on John chapter 2, we uncover the brilliant literary and symbolic structure that John uses to communicate a deeper message—transformation through divine grace requires zeal. John brackets the chapter with key references to the number three, ritual, and zeal, guiding the reader toward the center of a chiastic structure where the heart of the message lies: God's gr...

In the second half of our study of John chapter 2, we explore the Jewish expectation of a rebuilt Temple—one that would surpass even the glory of Solomon’s Temple. Throughout the Second Temple period, Jewish writings imagined different scenarios: Some believed God Himself would rebuild it. Others expected the Messiah to oversee its construction. We’ll walk through these ancient texts and discover...

In this lesson, we explore the dramatic moment in John chapter 2 when Jesus clears the Temple courts. What provoked such zeal from the Prince of Peace? One possible answer lies in something called the Soreg—a dividing wall in the Second Temple that separated Gentiles from the inner courts of worship. The penalty for crossing it? Death. In Jesus’ day, this physical barrier symbolized deeper religio...

In Part 2 of our Rethinking Spirituality series, we explore the deep wisdom of the Hebrew Bible and the ancient rabbis on the nature of the human soul. Scripture uses three distinct Hebrew words to describe the inner essence of a person—each pointing to a different layer of our spiritual being. The rabbis liken the soul to a candle: - Nefesh connects us to the body—like the wick. - Ruach links sou...

In this two-part series, we begin by challenging the modern assumptions that shape how we think about spirituality, God, and the universe. In Part One, we explore the Greek word kosmos—a word that, to the ancient mind, signified an ordered, vibrant, and meaningful creation, infused with divine presence. But something changed. Following the Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution, our view of t...

[Verse 1] In the garden long ago Dust was shaped and breathed to life Adam stood with open eyes In the image of the Light But he reached for what was not his Turned away from holy flame And through one man came the shadow And the world was clothed in shame [Chorus] But You came O Last Adam Full of truth and endless grace You walked among the broken Love poured out in every place Where the first br...

In this lesson, we continue our exploration of the Hebrew concept of faith—one that goes far beyond mere intellectual assent to a set of beliefs. Biblical faith is not just believing that something is true; it is a movement of the soul into the living reality of God through Jesus. One of the more provocative insights in this teaching centers on the Greek genitive case—specifically in passages like...

Over the centuries, the word faith has accumulated layers of meaning—some helpful, others deeply misleading. In this first of two lessons, we begin to peel back those layers and rediscover what faith meant in the biblical world. Today, many view faith as blind belief or intellectual agreement with abstract propositions. But in the world of the Bible, faith was far more concrete. Rooted in the Hebr...

In this final installment of our three-part series on the Greek god Dionysus, we journey to the influential city of Ephesus—home to the community John was writing to—to examine just how prominent Dionysus worship was in the cultural fabric of this Greek world. John's audience knew Dionysus well. From there, we head north to Pergamum—one of the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation—whe...

This lesson continues our exploration of the striking contrast between Jesus turning water into wine at Cana and the worship of the Greek god Dionysus. We begin by examining key passages from the Old Testament where the vine plays a central role—including Israel itself being portrayed as God's vine. From there, we turn to Greek symbolism, where wine is seen as a divine gift and the vine a sacred i...

This is Part 1 of a series that will explore the Greek god Dionysus and how John's audience in Ephesus would have understood the Water to Wine miracle. Dionysus was well known in both Asia Minor, where John was writing, and in the land of Israel. The Greeks had brought Dionysus to Israel hundreds of years before Jesus was born, and he was a very popular agricultural god. The water-to-wine miracle...

This lesson is a section of a teaching from 2021. Here is the original lesson: https://youtu.be/tgql4_1Qwko When asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus responds not with one—but two. He quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5, the Shema: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart…”—and then adds Leviticus 19:18: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Why two? And why does no one challenge him for it? In th...

In this follow-up to our previous lesson on the symbolism of John Chapter 2, we examine the rich cultural and spiritual backdrop of the Wedding at Cana. What did John mean when he said it was the “third day”? At first glance, this might seem like a small detail, but when viewed through the lens of Jewish wedding traditions, it opens up a powerful layer of meaning that brings the Cana scene to life...